Kul Tiras
thumb|left|The Kul Tiras tabard thumb|The flag of Kul Tiras. *Capital: Boralus (4,000). *Population: 10,000 (8,500 human, 1,000 Ironforge dwarf, 300 high elf, 200 goblin). *Affiliation: Alliance. Ruler: Admiral Tandred Proudmoore Past Ruler: Daelin Proudmoore History Over one-thousand years ago, the city-state of Kul Tiras was founded upon a large island west of Khaz Modan and in between Stormwind and Lordaeron. Kul Tiras developed a thriving economy based on fishing and exports. Over the years mighty fleets of merchant vessels were built and they sailed throughout the seas in search of exotic goods to trade and sell. Over the many years the great nation of Kul Tiras thrived on exports of seafood, livestock, lumber, grain, gold, and other artifacts. Also over the years they have developed problems with pirates and raiders on the seas and on the coasts. Murlocs constantly posed a problem to those on the island. These threats, however, have become larger and more serious especially since the Second War all the way to present day. Always possessing a heavily armed and extremely powerful fleet, Kul Tiras only used their war vessels to protect shipping passages between the mainland and the island. Upon the Second War, their war fleets were unleashed as Grand Admiral Daelin Proudmoore entered Kul Tiras into the Alliance and took a vow to help his old friend, Sir Anduin Lothar. Despite the first sea battle against the orcish war fleet which resulted in the destruction of the human war ships, the armada of Kul Tiras proved to be a valuable asset of the Alliance war effort. Throughout the war Grand Admiral Daelin Proudmoore proved to be one of the staunchest supporters of the Alliance. Even though the fleets had triumphed in the Second War, the Horde ships devastated the fleet and it never has recovered since. For this, the people of Kul Tiras hold a dire hatred for the orcs. Several years after, the Third War erupted. Kul Tiras sent its fleets against the undead Scourge but was able to do very little. Most of the ships were destroyed, heavily damaged, or retreated back to Kul Tiras. For reasons unknown to the people of Kul Tiras, Jaina Proudmoore, a powerful sorceress and daughter to dear Grand Admiral Daelin Proudmoore, sailed to west Kalimdor and took half of the remaining fleet with her. Several months later, the Grand Admiral, figuring out that he could not prevent Lordaeron’s fall and reckoning that his daughter may require help in the western lands took the remaining ships and sailed to meet her. Neither of the Proudmoores have returned nor has any word come back from Kalimdor. (Very unusual, since the Horde must maintain contact with the Forsaken and the Night Elves have been seen in the Eastern Kingdoms- and certainly Jaina would have sent some word back to Kul Tiras) In the absence of his father Admiral Tandred Proudmoore is now the acting Grand Admiral of Kul Tiras. In the four years since Daelin Proudmoore’s departure Tandred has built the Kul Tiras fleet back up but it compares not to the once grand fleets of years past. With help from his lady friend Captain Misham Waycrest they do their best to destroy the Murlocs, Naga, and pirates that threaten the coasts and vessels of our Great Nation of Kul Tiras. Tandred does what he can with the fewer ships and fewer men available but does not quite fill his father’s shoes. Kul Tiras in Warcraft II NOTE: The following information is taken from the Warcraft 2: Tides of Darkness manual. Leader: Grand Admiral Daelin Proudmoore Nation Color: Green Background: Before the First War, the far ranging merchant ships of Kul Tiras made it the most prosperous nation in the known world. When the Orcs began to raid the coastal settlements of Lordaeron, Admiral Proudmoore took it upon himself to construct an armada of warships. At the behest of his long time friend Anduin Lothar, Proudmoore has pledged the assistance of his merchant-nation to the Alliance. People and Culture The people of Kul Tiras are wealthy, especially compared to the ravaged northern lands, and proud of their nation. They wear traditional green and fly flags with Kul Tiras’s anchor emblem. Like Hillsbrad’s citizens, Kul Tiras’s people celebrate Hordefall every year. They hate the Scourge for wiping out the rest of their continent; they hate naga, murlocs and pirates for sinking their ships and stealing their resources; and they hate orcs for decimating their fleets in the Second War. They are staunch members of the Alliance and friends of Ironforge. The citizens of Kul Tiras possess a deep-seated anxiety. Their eyes dart about. Often looking to the west, where the greatest leaders of Kul Tiras and many of their warriors vanished, they wonder if they will ever again see their missing families. They are glad to have a Proudmoore as their leader, but all know that Tandred is not the man his father was. Soldiers of Kul Tiras bearing its tabard include Lieutenant Benedict, Watch Commander Zalaphil, Kul Tiras Marines and Kul Tiras Sailors. Geography Kul Tiras is a large island off Khaz Modan’s west coast, between Stormwind and Lordaeron. The unsettled areas are covered with rolling hills and sparse evergreen woods. Nearby Crestfall, immediately off the northeast coast, and farther Tol Barad, in the same direction, are also parts of Kul Tiras. Kul Tiras is temperate, though subject to sudden ocean storms. The nation is also very windy, which makes zeppelin rides perilous. Wild game includes few forest creatures such as foxes, squirrels and the occasional black bear. Kul Tiras’s shores possess good fishing and provide ample seafood. It is said that Kul Tiras has the best lobster and king crab in all the land. Sites and Settlements Boralus, Capital city Boralus, Kul Tiras’ capital, lies on the island’s west coast. The city’s population has dwindled since Jaina’s and Daelin’s exodus, and many houses and surrounding farms lie empty. Currently the city's population stands at four-thousand heads. The people have drawn in away from the fringes and toward the coast; one can wander for a short while through the abandoned residential districts and market places in the city’s east side. An ideal place for a secret society or hidden cabal, the town was eerily quiet. Still, Boralus is a friendly enough harbor, though almost all its citizens carry long knives to "gut the murlocs and naga". Kul Tiras’s diminished fleet patrols the waterways leading to the harbor, so merchants from Southshore, Menethil Harbor and (rarely) Kalimdor make Boralus a regular stop. Darkspear islands (now lost to the ocean) The Kul'tiras marines had a base on the Darkspear islands. Led by an Archmage, they frequently attacked the Darkspears trolls. The Darkspear enlisted the help of Thrall and the Horde to stop the settlement from attacking them. Near the end of the fight, the Horde and marines were captured by the Underworld minions to be sacrificed to the sea witch. Despite sharing a common foe, they continued to attack the Horde. Unlike Thrall they didn't make out alive - many died in an attempt to break out, and the rest drowned in the sinking of the island. Drisburg A town on the northern coast of Kul Tiras. Many of of Drisburg's citizens were gnome and dwarf immigrants from Ironforge. The scourge had landed a small army on the coast and laid siege to the town. The defenders fired a few cannons at their besiegers, but there was little they could do. Duke Falrevere watched as the horde destroyed the town from his ships. Falrevere calculated and came to the conclusion that if he landed he had a 50% chance of saving the town from the onslaught, but many of the town's citizens and his own people would die. His choice was clear, he turned his ships around and bid goodbye to the doomed settlement. Crestfall A large island off Kul Tiras’s northeast coast, Crestfall boasts a sizable community of boaters and fishermen. These people do not like strangers—some visitors are nearly shot when approaching a town at night on this island. The riflemen are constantly on guard from the naga have been plaguing them recently. Rumors abound that a large naga force, under a warlord called Zethresh, hides near Crestfall’s west shore. Zethresh reputedly seeks to cleanse the ocean and her isles of human encroachment. Tiragarde Keep The humans of Kul Tiras also have control over the small, ruined fort of Tiragarde Keep in Durotar. Formerly the citadel of Grand Admiral Daelin Proudmoore during his invasion of Durotar, it is now lorded over by one Lieutenant Benedict who wishes to continue Daelin's desire to kill all orcs and take Durotar. Tol Barad Its secret is kept from many of the world and most are never allowed to visit. The site of many historic battles in the Second War, Tol Barad is now home to a magic prison. Wizards from both Dalaran and Stormwind oversee the complex, and prisoners include enemy mages, lesser and greater demons, warlocks and undead war criminals. The wizards do not allow anyone near the island and keep the prison’s existence a secret. The Sea The biggest asset to Kul Tiras is also its greatest danger: the sea. Murlocs and naga crawl from the sea to torment sailors and fishermen. Pirates roam the waters preying on merchant vessels. Captain Dannol Scurvgrin, a truly vile pirate lord, has ties to the Bloodsail Pirates of the South Seas and sees Kul Tiras as his next big prize. The Undermine map contains a boat path to/from Kul Tiras. Presence in World of Warcraft Kul Tiras played a major part in the events of the Second and Third Wars (that is, Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness and Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos). However, according to the official World of Warcraft map, Kul Tiras is strangely missing and does not appear off the shores of Khaz Modan. According to the lore, it is still a thriving (if somewhat diminished) part of the Alliance, and had barely been touched by the Scourge. Its smaller navy patrols the islands against Naga, pirates and Murlocs, and the capital city of Boralus contains 4,000 people. In the RPG book Lands of Conflict, Kul Tiras still appears on the map. Blizzard has made no comments as to whether Kul Tiras will appear in World of Warcraft, and its absence remains a mystery to many Lore fans. It is still possible that Kul Tiras and Gilneas will be added in future expansions or content drops. Blizzard recently commented on this in a forum post stating that they although there is the possibility of its inclusion later in the game they had no plans for it at present due to the large amount of story they already want to cover.http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=112402444&pageNo=1&sid=1#6 References Category:Islands Category:Human Nations Category:Lore Zones Category:Human territories Category:Continent:Eastern Kingdoms